


Hey

by CeliaEquus



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV), Captain America (Movies), Marvel, Marvel (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Alternate Ending, Fix-It, Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-05-19
Updated: 2016-06-09
Packaged: 2018-06-09 10:13:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,256
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6901768
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CeliaEquus/pseuds/CeliaEquus
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Times when Coulson should've interrupted proceedings in 'Captain America: Civil War'.  Yes, I was rewriting the scenes in my head as they played out in the movie.  Welcome to my mind.</p><p>Disclaimer: I don't own the Avengers, or any other Marvel thingummies, nor am I making money from this.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Meeting Interrupted

Thaddeus Ross was about to expound on the Avengers’ only option when the door swung open. The former general rounded on the intruder, about to ream them out for interrupting him at a dramatic moment, when an unassuming man entered, flanked by two women.

“Hey,” the man said, waving at the stunned Avengers. Ross looked from them to the man to the women. Both appeared to be Asiatic, one with cropped wavy hair, the other with long straight hair, both dressed in black.

“Who the hell are you?” Ross growled.

“I’m here to present the Avengers with an alternative,” he replied.

“You didn’t answer my question!”

“You didn’t ask it very politely.” The man set a briefcase on the table, and cast a disparaging look at the Sovokia Accords Ross had tucked under his arm. “There used to be a branch of SHIELD in Lagos. Well, HYDRA screwed up everything. But if the Avengers agreed to fall under SHIELD purview again, I think they can be satisfied that my people will give them _all_ of the necessary information, provide assistance where necessary, and any additional surveillance. I have every confidence that the team can judge when they are needed, and if I have any qualms I’m sure they’ll listen to me.” He smiled blandly. “The original six fought after I died.”

“Coulson,” Rogers said softly.

“Hello, captain. Don’t worry, I didn’t bring any cards for you to sign. Wouldn’t feel the same after Fury smeared the last ones with my blood,” he added in a mutter.

“Let it go, DC,” the younger woman said.

“How did you survive?” Stark said. “That’s impossible. Bruce examined you. You were dead.”

“A real miracle,” Coulson said. Ross inched closer, only to be blocked by the older woman. She had a look which put him on edge, and he sneered at her. “Oh, I interrupted your spiel, secretary? Please, do continue. We’ll see whether the Avengers prefer your plan or mine.” He pressed his thumb to two separate points on the case, and it clicked open. He pulled out an official-looking paper, slimmer than the one produced for the UN. “Please, go ahead. Don’t let me stop you.” He smiled that official smile again, and Ross cleared his throat.

But the Avengers – some of them – were too distracted by the presence of this man who was supposed to be dead. When they managed to pay attention to Ross’s presentation, some were reticent. It wasn’t looking good for the Accords. His only hope was that SHIELD’s past was enough to put them off.

“And how do you propose to deal with the corruption in your organisation?” Ross asked, crossing his arms.

“We deal with traitors appropriately,” Coulson said. “We’re having our own problems with HYDRA, so it would be nice to have some help with that. We do have a lie detector, but I suspect that Miss Maximoff would be an even greater asset in that regard. Daisy and Lincoln could help her gain control over her powers, if she’s worried about them. SHIELD is willing to work with the UN. Of course, if the world’s leaders ever give us stupid advice, we’ll ignore them. The world’s safety is more important than the agendas and egos of a few self-important politicians, don’t you agree?”

Ross ground his teeth. The older woman had backed off again, now eyeing Ross’s bodyguard, but the younger woman was watching Ross with eagle eyes.

“The Avengers need to be regulated,” he said.

“I thought you had a daughter,” Coulson said.

“And?” Ross asked, taking a step closer.

“I wouldn’t do that, if I were you,” the older woman murmured.

“I don’t have children, but I do have young agents, and I understand the rebellious teenager phase,” Coulson said. “Hell, I went through it myself. If you restrict people’s freedom, they rebel further. Give the Avengers something to do to work off steam, and they won’t need to undertake minor missions like the one in Lagos.”

“That was _minor_?” Wilson asked.

“Some of my SHIELD agents could’ve handled it,” Coulson said. “We didn’t have the intel in time, and we’ve been trying to keep a low profile. I guess Fury never specified how long we should fly under the radar, and I’m the director of SHIELD, so that’s up to me, isn’t it?” He smiled again, showing nearly all his teeth. “You’re all welcome to interrogate me later, but right now which would you prefer? Working for the UN, with all these strings attached,” he tapped the documentation for the Accords, “or working for SHIELD with whatever provisions you’d like? I’m willing to negotiate. We just want to keep the world safe.”

“And you think I don’t want that?” Ross asked, spreading his hands.

“I think you’re interested in something more,” Coulson said. “Like control over the Avengers. Send them out into major battle and hope that the Hulk turns up, so you can take him in again. Experiment on Dr. Banner.” He cocked his head, and Ross started to sweat. “Tell me I’m wrong.”

“You’re wrong,” Ross choked out.

“Come _on_. Like you _mean_ it.”

“I’m… I’m here to regulate the Avengers!”

“ _I’m_ here to offer them a chance to do what we were meant to do, before Loki killed me, and before HYDRA turned out to be in SHIELD,” Coulson replied. He lost all pleasantness, and Ross noticed his left hand flexing. Why was he wearing a glove?

“You’d allow them too much freedom,” Ross said.

“And you wouldn’t allow them enough. Which is more likely to save the world when the time comes?”

“Phil.”

They all looked at Romanov. Ross hadn’t seen much of the woman, but she didn’t seem the emotional type. But he knew what a crying woman looked like, and she looked close to that.

“Hello, Natasha,” Coulson said. “Sorry. I’ve been kind of busy not being dead to get in touch.”

Phil Coulson?

“Phil Coulson?” Ross said. “I heard Talbot mention you.”

“Yeah, we’re good friends,” Coulson said. “We work together. You know, collaborating with the army. Oh, but wait, you’re not involved in that anymore. If you were, you’d have known about us sooner. Don’t you just hate being out of the loop?” He grinned, shark-like. Ross saw red. He started to stalk towards Coulson.

Next thing he knew, he’d cracked his head against the wall, and was being held there by an invisible force. Not the red of the Scarlet Witch, who was staring at the younger woman Coulson had brought. But Ross could just make out what looked like clear waves of energy, or vibrations, pinning him in place.

“Don’t threaten the director,” she said.

“You see, SHIELD accepts gifted people,” Coulson said, making no moves to get her to release Ross. “We work with them. Daisy here keeps track of our human assets, and helps train them.” He handed out copies of his own document to the Avengers, and then closed his briefcase. “Right, well, I think we’re done here. I’m sure Mr. Stark has a shredder somewhere. Daisy?”

The young woman dropped her hands, and consequently Ross. He slumped on the floor, glaring up at Coulson.

“Be prepared for a call at twenty-one hundred hours,” Coulson told the Avengers, picking up his case. “We’d like your answer then. If you haven’t made a decision, we’ll arrange another time to call. Please consider everything carefully. I hope to see you later.” He nodded at them, spared a glance for Ross, and then left. When Ross looked around for his bodyguard, he realised that the man was unconscious beside him, a trace of blue light fading on his side.

“Let’s start reading,” Rogers said, opening Coulson’s document.


	2. In Lagos

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A stranger helps Wanda to redirect Rumlow's explosion, and truths start to come out.

Wanda saw the explosion almost before it happened, and used her powers to keep it from hitting the captain. But she knew she couldn’t hold it for long, and pushed the ball of fire into the air. With horror, she realised it was headed for a building, but there was no way she could stop it. Not without dropping the man and possibly killing everyone in the marketplace.

It seemed to be in slow motion. The explosion headed towards the corner of the building. But from the right a wave of something _else_ shot out, pushing the explosion away. Wanda let go in shock, and the ball of fire grew with a piercing roar. There was the shatter of broken windows, and the man’s remains splattered on the ground beneath, but he was the only casualty.

She exhaled slowly, and looked to the side. A young woman lowered her hands, short hair settling around her shoulders. She was dressed in unrelieved black, and sunglasses hid her eyes.

“Hey, are you okay?” the girl said. American. She was looking at Wanda, and took a step towards her.

“Don’t,” Steve said, stepping between them. Wanda sighed, and looked around his body.

“Thank you,” she said.

“Only you look a little faint.”

Steve glanced back, and seemed to come to the same conclusion. He cupped Wanda’s elbow, but remained between them. She leaned into his strength, grateful.

“Thanks for your help,” he said. “But who are you?”

“Just a sec,” she said, and she raised a hand to her mouth. “Is the building clear? So how many were there? Twelve? Okay, thanks.” She dropped her hand again. “Well, if it’d hit that floor, there’d be twelve more people dead, and Rumlow was HYDRA, so I think we can count this mission a success. Thank you for doing most of the dirty work for us. Do you need a ride somewhere? I’m authorised to offer you a lift wherever you need to go, here and in America.”

“Who are you?” Wanda said, feeling steadier now. “How did you do that?”

“I’m Daisy, and I’ve got powers, too. I can manipulate vibrations. They call me Quake.” She smiled. “You’re Wanda Maximoff, right?”

“Yes,” Wanda said. Steve gave her a Look, but she ignored him. “I… I could have killed twelve people?”

“Yeah. Look, we all make mistakes. But people like us, we can do great things to make up for it. It sounds like you just need a bit more training.”

“Wanda’s fine,” Steve said.

“No, I do need help,” Wanda told him, and she crossed her arms. “After what I did, working for HYDRA, and leading Stark to create Ultron, I’ll do whatever I can to make up for that. I’ve mourned my brother long enough. You must stop babying me, Steve, and allow me to atone.”

“But we don’t even know who she is!” he hissed.

“I’m with SHIELD,” Daisy said. “We can help you, Wanda. You and Pietro.”

Wanda bristled, the pain welling up in her chest again. “My brother is dead.”

“He… is?”

“He died in Sokovia.”

“Oh.” Daisy frowned. “You didn’t know? Wait, when was the last time you heard from Fury?”

“Fu… what the hell has he been keeping from us?” Steve demanded.

“Oh shit,” Daisy muttered. She pulled out a phone and called someone. “The Scarlet Witch doesn’t know about her brother? Why… You _thought_ she knew? Coulson, who the hell would stop a message… oh.”

“ _Coulson_?” Steve said. Natasha reached his side, Sam following her and petting Redwing. “Did you say Coulson?”

“What?” Natasha said sharply. Wanda exchanged looks with Sam.

“Double shit,” Daisy said. “Uh, I’m… May! May, come over here! Coulson, I’m taking a week’s vacation. See you when I get back from Lagos. Bye.” She hung up, switched off her phone, and grinned at a woman who’d just walked up to her. “May, if Coulson asks, I’m going off-grid for a week. Uh, they kinda know about him now. But it seems like SHIELD’s messages to the Avengers have been going astray, so maybe you should all start by sorting that out. Or getting the biological weapon out of here. Either way.” She shrugged. “Wanda can start with Lincoln. He helped me. But I’m gonna go now before DC can yell at me, okay? Bye! Oh, and give Wanda my cell number.” She waved, and then disappeared into the crowd. Wanda turned to the new woman, confused.

“Agent May,” Natasha said.

“Romanov,” May said.

“Nice to know you made it.”

“With our covers barely intact, no thanks to you.”

“Now tell us about Coulson.”

“Seems the pleasantries are officially over,” Sam whispered to Wanda. She giggled nervously, backing to his side and away from the two pissed off original Avengers.

But was it true? Was Pietro alive, all this time? And who kept this from her, his own twin sister? She _felt_ him die, but the pain eased sooner than she had expected. Maybe he really _was_ alive after all!

 

“FRIDAY, have you been blocking unauthorised messages?” Tony said. “More specifically, from an organisation which might be SHIELD?”

“Any possible SHIELD communications have been run past you,” FRIDAY said. “I blocked them all, as you instructed, sir. You never reversed the instruction.”

“How long has this been going on?” Steve asked. “Since the battle in Sokovia?”

“Yes, Captain Rogers.”

“Okay, my bad,” Tony said, holding up his hands. “But honestly, if Fury wants to talk to us he shows up. How was I supposed to know that someone else was running SHIELD? He never told me anything like that. I mean, sure, there was something about a friend not being as dead as I thought, but was I supposed to read his mind and see that he meant Coulson?”

“We should call Clint,” Natasha said. “He knew Coulson even longer than I did. If it’s really him, Clint will know, and he _should_ be told.”

“You don’t think it’ll stir up bad memories?” Tony said. “Of Loki?”

“We _all_ have bad memories,” she said. “But Clint was closest to Coulson. I know he’s retired, but it’s not like we’re calling him to assemble. Just to confirm that it’s… our old friend.” She half-smiled, and played with the screen of her phone.

“I want their help,” Wanda said. “I am dangerous to people. Sokovia proved that, and today nearly proved it again. And if Pietro is alive…” She blinked back tears that threatened to spill over. “I have to see my brother again.”

“If he hasn’t found you yet, it could be that he’s in critical condition,” Sam said. “Are you sure you want to face that?”

“You are an only child, yes?”

He smiled wanly. “I see where you’re going with that. But if he’s been in a coma this long, he may never come out of it. Just make sure that you’re prepared for that.”

“Or someone’s gotten into your head,” Tony said. “Made you believe things that aren’t true, just to get to you.”

Wanda flinched. “I’m sorry,” she whispered.

“We’re all sorry that weapons we’ve created or become have done bad things,” Rhodey said, looking at them all pointedly. “But we’ve also done good. So can we please move on to finding out if this really is Coulson, whether SHIELD really is around, and whether Pietro really is alive?”

“Thanks, Rhodey,” Steve said. He traced vague patterns on the tabletop. “FRIDAY, can you retrieve the messages?”

“Nearly there,” Tony said, raising a finger. “Hold your horses, Capsicle.” Wanda could hardly sit still, and it took a comforting squeeze on the shoulder from Sam to settle her. “Okay, here we go. Got a number. FRIDAY, on speaker phone.”

There was a click as the phone was answered.

“Who is this?” Natasha said.

A pause. And then, “Hey.”

“Son of a bitch!” Steve swore.

“Language,” Sam said, smirking.

“Coulson, is that really you?” Tony said, his back straightening.

“What happened to ‘Agent’?”

“Son of a bitch,” he said.

“How can you confirm that you’re Phil Coulson?” Rhodey said.

“Hello, colonel. I’d be happy to visit, if you require visual confirmation. Or you could tell Barton that I said ‘Green Rabbit’.”

“What does ‘green rabbit’ mean?” Natasha said.

“You don’t expect me to tell you that, do you… Charlotte?”

Natasha looked stricken for a moment. “Char…” She swallowed visibly. “I’m just about to call Hawkeye.”

“I’ll be quiet.”

She put Clint on speaker. Wanda could hear baby chatter in the background. “What’s up, Natasha?”

“Someone told me to tell you ‘green rabbit’,” she said.

There was a long silence. Then Clint inhaled unsteadily.

“Son of a bitch,” he said. “Coulson’s alive.”

“Hello, Hawkeye,” Coulson said. Clearly it was him.

“How?” Clint said.

“A magical place. Like Pietro Maximoff.”

“ _What_?”

“Secretary Ross is on his way to ask you all to sign something,” Coulson said. “He wants you to agree to let the UN decide when you can save the world, and when to let the bad guys win.”

“That’s not what the accords are about,” Tony said.

“You know about this?” Steve said.

“It’s not?” Coulson asked simultaneously.

Tony opened and closed his mouth. “You make it sound worse than it is,” he said.

“The point is, I can offer you an alternative,” Coulson said. “Miss Maximoff can stay at SHIELD for awhile, train with other gifted people. She may even be the key to waking her brother up, as I told you in several messages. What made you decide to reply, after all this time? Was May really that persuasive? With _words_?”

“I’ll come to you,” Wanda said. “My brother… he is really alive?”

“Daisy said you didn’t know. Was someone deliberately blocking our messages, or have we been sending them to the wrong place the entire time? Damn, if it comes down to the wrong phone number—”

“No, that was my fault,” Tony said. “I wasn’t interested in getting involved with SHIELD again, not after everything that happened.”

“You may not have much choice,” Coulson said. “Either you do what Ross wants you to do – good luck getting Dr. Banner to agree – or you work with SHIELD. The other alternatives are give up being superheroes or face imprisonment. Now you’ve got our phone number. Listen to Secretary Ross, if you want to, but I can guarantee that whatever he offers, SHIELD can better it. And, Miss Maximoff, people with powers, people like you, will always be given a chance at SHIELD.”

“Then I go to SHIELD,” Wanda said. “No, Steve, I am old enough to make up my own mind. It is best for everyone that I go there.”

“Are you sure?” Vision said. Wanda met his gaze, and could only hold it for a few seconds. She lowered her head.

“Yes,” she said. “I want to be like Daisy.”

“When you’re ready, let me know, and I’ll send someone for you,” Coulson said.

“I’m retired,” Clint said. “But Pietro is alive?”

“Currently.”

“And you went to… the magical place, too?”

“After being dead for five days. Don’t worry. I’m not going insane anymore.”

“Well, that’s encouraging,” Sam said dryly.

“You won’t change my mind,” Wanda said, staring Steve dead in the eye. “None… none of you will.” Looking at Steve, she couldn’t see Vision, couldn’t weaken. And _Pietro was alive_. “My brother, Steve.”

He sighed, and nodded. “Okay. But I’m coming with you.”

“So am I,” Natasha said.

“And me,” Tony said.

“Good. I look forward to seeing whoever turns up. Miss Maximoff, pack whatever you think you’ll need for a week.”

“Call me Wanda,” she said.

“I can’t get away from the renovations at the moment,” Clint said. “Or the baby. But don’t think I won’t be _visiting_ you sometime, Coulson.”

“I’d be more surprise if you didn’t,” he said.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, that was fun. Didn’t exactly turn out the way I expected, but I’ve had the scene of Daisy shoving the explosion away from the building in my mind for weeks. Finally got around to writing it. *Laughs nervously*
> 
> Hope it was okay. Finally booting my arse into gear and writing more fan fiction between the original fiction. Seriously gotta get better at time management.
> 
> Please review! By the way, I took the idea for Coulson’s nickname for Natasha from another of my stories. Charlotte, after the book ‘Charlotte’s Web’.

**Author's Note:**

> No, that’s not a euphemism, despite how much Capsicoul fan fic I’ve written before.
> 
> So I saw ‘Civil War’ today, and now I need to write fix-it fics. Basically this’ll be various times Coulson should’ve intervened during the film. They might not be in order; it’ll be as inspiration hits. I might have to look up the sequence of events and so forth. Definitely got something cool planned for the airport scene, and a possible early break-out from the prison.
> 
> Please review! There shouldn’t be any pairings, because the focus is on SHIELD helping to save the day by Coulson sending the Avengers to their rooms. Pretty much.


End file.
